


Veronica Mars and the Case of the Missing Engagement Ring:  A Tiny LoVe Adventure

by EllieBear



Series: Tiny LoVe Adventures [1]
Category: Veronica Mars (Movie 2014), Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Best Friends, Kid Fic, promtober 2018, tiny adventures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-07-20 20:09:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16144598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieBear/pseuds/EllieBear
Summary: Eight-year-old Veronica Mars is always on the lookout for an adventure.  Too bad her best friend Logan isn't always game.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Are You There God? It's Me, Veronica](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7754773) by [EllieBear](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieBear/pseuds/EllieBear). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: flashlight

“I’m not going in there, ‘Ronica.”  Logan sat on the ground criss-cross-applesauce and folded his arms across his chest, a firm pout forming on his round face.  “You’re tiny.  You can fit.  I can’t.”

 

Crouching on the ground, Veronica peered through the cracked lattice that surrounded the bottom of the old, abandoned house.  Even though she was eight years old, she was still about the size of a six year old and could easily fit into places that he could not.  If their adventures had taught Logan anything, it was that if Veronica could explore it, it was just assumed that Logan would somehow follow, but he always had to make a good show of trying to talk her out of it, just to give himself some plausible deniability when they inevitably were questioned about their antics at home later that day.

 

Veronica’s blue eyes twinkled with that excitement as she glanced over her shoulder at him in a way that told Logan whatever she had planned was going to get them in trouble.  Again.  She presented her palm to him and smiled.

 

“Just hand me the **flashlight**.  It’ll be fine.”

 

The day was overcast, making it darker than normal for ten in the morning – and the overgrown grasses and weeds, plants and trees on the property didn’t help the little bit of sunlight that did reach them on the ground.

 

“We’re breaking and entering.”  He stated, pushing his shaggy bangs off his forehead.

 

“We’re not breaking and entering.  We’re helping.”  A frown crossed her tiny brow at the mention their motives could be anything other than altruistic.  “I heard Mrs. Rodrick’s son, Mathais, say to my dad that he wished he could find her old engagement ring so he could propose to his girlfriend but it's been three years since his mom died and he still can't find it.  He said her house is still a _labyrinth_ of stuff that she horded.  An actual labyrinth, Logan....how cool is that?  A big maze!  A puzzle!  I bet we could figure out how to find that ring and then Mathais can live happily ever after!”

 

“I dunno....”  Logan let out a sigh and slipped off his backpack dropping it on the ground between them. 

 

Reaching in, he felt around – past the various screw drivers, hammers, ham sandwiches, and cans of Skist Veronica had packed – to find the two small police-issue mag-lights at the bottom of the bag.  Pulling them out, he handed one to Veronica and kept one for himself.  Taking it from him, she twisted it to turn it on, almost blinding him in the process and he winced, his palm rising to break the beam of light from his eyes.  

 

"Whoops!  Sorry, Lo." 

 

Pointing the flashlight through the lattice under the deck, Veronica tossed her head to one side, her long blond ponytail shaking behind her – the pink fabric scrunchie holding it up shifting lower and lower.  Every day, Veronica’s mother took great care brushing her hair and placing it up into intricate hair styles.  And almost every day, by noon, she had either taken it out or the style had fallen out as a result of her antics.

 

“Look – there’s a window over there.”  Veronica shone the light through the crawl space – specks of dirt and dust swirling past the spider webs and weeds – and it reflected off the broken glass.  “I can reach my hand in there and open the latch.  Then climb in and go through the house and open the back door for you.”

 

Leaning forward onto all fours, Logan shook his bangs off his face again and crawled towards her.  Turning on his light, he shone it around under the deck.  “There could be something nasty under her, Ronnie.  Like mice.  Or a racoon.”

 

Rolling her eyes, Veronica gave her best friend a shove to his shoulder.  “Oh come on – don’t be such a chicken.”

 

“I’m not a chicken!  You always say that when I don’t do what you want!”  Logan huffed, leaning back on his heels, pulling the sleeves of his hoodie down over his palms and gripping them tightly with his fingers.

 

“Don’t go all _woobie_ on me either,” Veronica said, reaching behind her head to tighten her pony tail.  “It’ll be _fun_.  Just trust me.”

 

“You always say that too,” he muttered.

 

“And it _is_ always fun!”  Veronica clapped her hands happily, a huge grin spreading across her face.  “Like the time we packed a lunch and rode our bikes down the path behind your house and found that nest of garter snakes!  That was sooooooo cooooool!”

 

“Okay, that was cool.”  He admitted with a smile, his eyes lighting up at the memory of the day.

 

“Or the turtles we found in the sand when we climbed over those rocks at the end of Dog Beach?”  She reminds him happily before getting on all fours again and starting to crawl towards the window, keeping low as to avoid the cobwebs.

 

With a huff, Logan crouched as well, getting as close to the ground as his long limbs will let him and begins to follow Veronica.  “Yeah.  That was cool too.”

 

“And this'll be awesome too!”  Stopping at the window, Veronica sat down, keeping her head low.

 

Pulling the sleeve of her hoodie down over her hand, she held the cuff inside to protect her skin and slowly slipped it through the triangular hole in the glass.  When it is safe, she exposed her hand and bent her arm, feeling around for the old metal latch.  When her small fingers found it, she flicked it open easily – any strength it once had giving way to the age of the wood that barely holds it onto the windowsill.  Covering her hand again, she slowly pulled her hand through the glass once more and Logan took in a sharp breath of concern, hoping he wouldn't have to explain to Mr. Mars how Veronica cut her arm off.

 

The glass caught slightly on her sleeve and it rose from it’s frame towards her.  Grasping the edge of the cut window with her sleeve, she slowly pulled it up toward her as Logan leaned over and grasped the bottom of the peeling window frame.

 

“Got it.  Take your hand out.”

 

Veronica slid her hand out completely and Logan raised the window so it is completely open, a cloud of dust rising from the space as the fresh air caught it and Logan coughs as it swirled towards his face.  The window was about a foot high and a foot wide –big enough for Veronica to easily fit through.  Smiling at him, she pulled her pink hoodie over her head and yanked on the strings to tighten it around her face.

 

“Okay.  I’m going in."

 

With a deep sigh, Logan nodded.  “Fine.  Be careful."

 

His best friend was nearly vibrating she was so giddy and he couldn't help but snicker as she happily wiggled herself past him, through the window frame before disappearing into the basement of the house – the light from her flashlight the only thing he could see.

 

"I'm okay!"  She hissed from inside. "Meet you at the back door!"

 

"Okay."  Closing the window, Logan retreated quickly out of the crawl space to join Veronica on her adventure inside.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fine, Irma66...you win...here is more of this TinyLove adventure.
> 
> Today's word: closed

Bouncing on the balls of his feet, Logan anxiously peered through the dusty glass, hoping for a glimpse of Veronica. He had counted way past 120-Mississippi’s and she was still not at the back door. Glancing behind him towards the overgrown backyard, he wondered if any of the neighbours could see him on the back porch. The last thing he needed was his dad getting a call from someone about him breaking into a house and a shudder ran through him at the thought. If Aaron hit him over stealing a cookie from Mrs. Navarro’s cookie jar, then this would surely send Logan to hospital, again.

A loud crashing from inside the house made Logan jump and he turned to see Veronica’s grinning face appear behind the cloudy window – her hoodie still covering her head. The clicking and creaking of old locks being turned preceded the squealing of the hinges as Veronica pulled the door open – another cloud of dust escaping as the stale air fled the house.

“Get in! Quckly!” Veronica waved her flashlight towards him and Logan slipped into the house.

Veronica **closed** the door behind him and pulled the hood off her head, still practically vibrating with excitement. Coughing, Logan cupped his hands over his nose and mouth to protect himself from the dust. They were in the kitchen, but it didn’t look much like a kitchen at the moment – with boxes and papers and cans and bins piled high on the floor and almost every surface.

“What’s that smell?” His nose wrinkled at the strange acidic scent that was so thick it was as if he could taste it.

“Burnt soup and sour milk.” Veronica stated. “Grandma Reynold’s house smells like this. Not this bad, but still. Betcha’ years of being closed up like this just made the smell seep into the wallpaper.”

Logan stuck out his tongue and shook his head in disgust. “Blah! My grandpa’s place doesn’t smell like that.”

“That’s because your grandpa lives in a very expensive senior’s apartment that your parents pay for.” Veronica rolled her eyes. “He has all his meals cooked and served to him.”

The thought of his Grandpa Lester – sitting in his old easy chair, telling war stories – made Logan smile. “True. And his place really doesn’t look like this.”

Sweeping her hand in front of her face, Veronica coughed as the dust particles in the air scattered, twinkling and turning in the beam from the flashlight. “Grandma Reynolds’s place isn’t like this either. I think Mrs. Rodrick had some sort of problem collecting things.”

Pushing his bangs away from his face, Logan chuckled as he began to maneuver through the maze of stuff piled almost as high as Veronica’s head. “Ya think? How the heck are we going to find a tiny ring in here?”

She followed as Logan made his way towards the front of the house slowly, his flashlight beam skimming and highlighting various objects around the rooms. Newspapers from Mexico City. Flyers from the Neptune Gazette. Glass figurines on shelves. Dusty photo albums.

“We just have to think like an old lady,” Veronica said from behind him. “Maybe she was worried someone would break in and steal it. Maybe she put it in something so it would be safe and then she forgot where she put it.”

She pointed a beam of light to a large painting of two people in wedding finery hanging over the mantle. “She and Mr. Rodrick were married for over 50 years – that’s them in the picture – I’m sure that wherever she put it, it was close to her – probably in her bedroom – to remind her of her husband.”

Stopping to inspect the painting, Logan let out a long breath. The young couple with tan skin smiled back at them. Mrs. Rodrick was in a simple white dress, but a long lace mantilla was fastened to her head and draped over her shoulder and down to the ground in the painting. Mr. Rodrick was in a black suit similar to the one that Logan remembered Mr. Narvarro wearing when he picked up his wife once after her shift.

Veronica stood next to Logan, a wistful sigh escaping her lips. “Don’t they look like something out of a fairy tale? Look at how pretty she looks in that dress and her veil. When I get married – I want a long, lacy veil like that.”

“Who’s gonna marry you? Dicky?” Logan laughed, glancing down as he gave her a playful shove. “Hey!  I know...you can be Mrs. Dicky!”

Using both hands, Veronica shoved him back, almost knocking him into another pile of papers and he laughed. “Ew! As if!”

Shining his light on her, she swatted at the beam. “Ronica and Dicky, sitting in a tree...” He sang, dodging her attempt to hit him.

“I hate you.” She hissed, pushing past him to make her way through the house once more.

His eyes followed her as she stomped towards the stairs leading up to the second floor, Logan sighed. “No. You don’t.”

Pausing at the foot near the front door, Veronica pulled her hood off her head, glancing back at him. “You’re right, I don’t. Now let’s go upstairs and find that ring so we can give it to someone who really wants to get married.”

Logan’s heart sped up and he frowned. There were times when he was with his best friend that his heartbeat started so fast, it felt like he had just finished a marathon. He didn’t know why it happened, it just did. Maybe one day he would get to the bottom of that mystery too.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the lovely comments and kudos. I know that I've been having trouble keeping up with all the reading and commenting on other people's stories for this challenge, so please, do not feel you have to leave a comment on my fic if you have already. I'll just assume you liked what I wrote unless I hear otherwise. ;-)
> 
> Word for today: demonstration

 

 

 

“Wow.”

 

Opening the door to Mrs. Rodrick’s bedroom, Veronica and Logan paused, taking in the stark difference from the rest of the house.  Mathais had obviously concentrated his cleaning efforts around the bedroom, in the hopes of finding the ring and the room sat as a pristine shrine to his mother. The mattress on the iron bed frame had been removed and the pink floral bedding was folded and draped across the foot of the frame.   Even through a thin layer of dust lay across everything, it wasn’t nearly as thick as it was in the rest of the house.  On top of her dresser lay several jewellery boxes, some make-up, and empty bottles of perfume.  The wooden rocking chair near the closet held three porcelain dolls all seated in their fine ruffled dresses, staring off towards the window across the room.  The sun had peeked out and a sliver of light shone through the closed lace curtains.

 

“Mathais told my dad he hoped to live in the house after he gets married.”  Veronica said.  “He’s away at UCLA most of the time – this must have been all he’s been able to clean.”

 

Logan jerked his thumb down the near impassable hallway.  “That doesn’t surprise me.  I guess he had to start somewhere.”

 

Stepping into the room, Veronica paused again, taking in the scene.  “He obviously checked the jewellery boxes, so no need to start there.  Let’s look in the closet and see if there’s a hiding spot or something.”

 

A full-body shudder ran through Logan as he approached the closet, his eyes locked on those of the porcelain dolls.  “Maybe the creepy dolls know where it is.  You should ask them – I bet they’ll answer.”

 

Laughing, Veronica walked around the rocking chair and paused, holding the large diamond-shaped glass knob of the closet door.  “You goof.  They’re just dolls.  Are you afraid of them?”

 

Another shudder ran through Logan and he grimaced.  “No.”

 

“Liar.”  She giggled and opened the door, shining her flashlight into the space. The closet was completely empty and Veronica let out a huff of annoyance.  “Mathais must have given all her clothes to Goodwill.”

 

“There’s no secret compartment back there or anything?”  Logan asked.

 

Shining her light around the small space, Veronica poked her head inside.  “Not that I can see.”  Dropping to her knees, she began feeling the wooden floorboards.  Crawling deeper inside, Veronica ran her hand along the baseboard and across the wall.

 

Standing on his tip-toes, Logan shone his light along the empty wooden shelf, following the wall up to the ceiling.  There, at the top, there seemed to be a hatch of some sort leading to the attic.  The paint was peeling around the edge of the small doorway but the dusty pink colour of the paint blended in with the rest of the space.

 

“Hey!  I found something!”  He proclaimed.  “There’s a little door!”

 

Veronica was up and beside him quickly, her flashlight joining his pointing at the top of the closet.  “It’s up there!  I know it!”

 

Glancing around the room, Logan grabbed the rocking chair and swung it around towards the closet, causing Veronica to jump inside to avoid being hit.  “You hold the chair.  I’ll stand on it and get up there and open it.”

 

Frowning, Veronica shook her head.  “That’s gonna still be too low, Lo.  We need something taller.”

 

His eyes looking from Veronica to the roof and back again, Logan frowned.  “I dunno.  Unless we find a ladder, I think we’re outta luck.”

 

Turning off her flashlight, Veronica stuck it in the kangaroo pocket of her sweater and pulled her hoodie over her head again.  “You’re tall enough – if I go on your shoulders, I can stand on that shelf and open it.”

 

“Ver-onicaaaa...” Logan sighed.  “That’s a really bad idea.”

 

Scoffing, Veronica swept her hand at him before signalling for him to crouch down.  “No it isn’t.  We do this all the time, oh tall friend.  What’s the dif’ between here and in your backyard?”

 

Frowning up at the shelf, Logan crossed his arms.  “What if that shelf breaks?  It’s really old.  And I don’t want to tell your dad how you came home with a broken arm today.”

 

Giving his sweater a little tug to try and get him to crouch, Veronica shook her head.  “That’s not gonna happen.  Just help me, okay?”

 

Rolling his eyes, Logan stuck his flashlight in his back pocket before turning around and crouching in front of her.  He braced himself against the door frame as Veronica crawled up on his back, her legs coming around to drop down his chest. 

 

“Ready!”  She called out happily perched on his shoulders.

 

With a deep sigh and a groan of exertion, Logan stood and she squealed, grabbing his hair as she shifted.  “Ow!  Stop it!”  He cried out, turning back around to face the closet.

 

“Sorry.  My bad.” 

 

Stepping closer to the shelf, Logan paused and Veronica released his hair, reaching up to grab the shelf.  “Hold still.”

 

Grabbing the edge of the door frame, Logan braced himself again as he felt Veronica shift on his shoulders again, the sole of her shoe rising past his head to anchor itself on his shoulder and he groaned in pain again.

 

“Just a second...” she muttered from above him as she pulled herself up onto the shelf, her feet pushing off from Logan’s shoulders.

 

“Ow!!”  He hollered, rubbing the spot on his clavicle that was kicked by her runners.

 

“Sorry.  Again.”  She called down from the shelf; once again she was just small enough to fit into the tiny space and she smiled at him happily.

 

“Be quick, before that thing falls.” He said, frowning with concern.

 

Giving him a thumbs-up, she rose slightly, her palms pressing against the square of ceiling.  It opened easily, swinging up on a hinge into the attic and letting out another cloud of dust.  With a cough, she stood, sticking her head into the small space and gasping.

 

“What do you see?”  Logan called up.

 

Grabbing her flashlight, Veronica turned it on again and poked it up into the attic.  “Spiders.  Lots of them.”

 

Logan shivered.  He never did like spiders.  “Gross.”

 

“Hold up...”  she muttered, pushing herself a little further inside.  There was a small shuffling before her hand emerged, holding a carved wooden box.  Pulling her head from the space – a layer of dust covering her hood – she smiled brilliantly at him.  “Look!  I found it!”

 

Reaching up, Logan grabbed the box from her hand and she turned her attention back up to securing the crawl space.  Turning it over and around in his hands, Logan blew a long breath across it, dislodging the caked-on dust from the intricate carved details in the wood.  Even though he turned it around and around, there didn’t seem to be an opening.

 

“Help me down!”  Veronica exclaimed, her legs dangling off the edge of the shelf.

 

“Okay,” he replied.  “Hang on.” 

 

Placing the box in the lap of one of the dolls for safe keeping, he backed up into the closet again, bracing himself for the last time as Veronica climbed down onto his shoulders.  When she was secure, he lowered himself to the ground and she scampered off his back, heading directly to the treasure.

 

“Oh my gosh!  This is it!”  She squealed with delight, turning the box around in her hands, inspecting it carefully.

 

“Not so fast, Nancy Drew – I think that’s a puzzle box.”  Logan stated.  “My mom has a few of them.  When they were dating, Dad used to think it was funny to give her expensive jewellery locked in one of those boxes and not tell her how to get it out.   Sometimes it took her weeks to get whatever was inside.”

 

Veronica gasped, looking from Logan to the box to Logan again.  “That’s cruel!”

 

“That’s my Dad,”  Logan muttered, glancing towards the ground.

 

Putting her hands on her hips, Veronica frowned.  “How are we supposed to open it now?”

 

“Let me provide a **demonstration**...”  Logan said, weaving his fingers together and stretching his arms out in front of himself dramatically cracking his knuckles in the process. “...of my magical powers.”

 

Opening his palm to her, she placed the box in his hand and he smiled.  Rolling it around and around in his grasp, Logan ran his fingers over the indentations in the details of the flowers in the patter.  “Mom has one that looks similar to this where you have to press the centre of two flowers at the same time.  Just have to find which ones....”

 

Trying different combinations, he could hear Veronica take in a sharp breath and hold it, her face hovering close to his hands as she watched him work his magic.  Over and over again he moved his fingers across the wood, hoping the next combination would work, as the seconds turned to minutes.  When a dull ‘click’ sounded above his heartbeat, Veronica let out a gasp.

 

“You did it!”  Her eyes lit up with glee as she clapped her hands and jumped up and down.

 

A small section of the box slid out and he grasped the edge with his nails, pulling it out further to reveal a cutaway section holding a small object inside.  The two friends nearly bonked heads as they leaned in to see what was inside.

 

There, nestled in the middle of the wood, was a small wooden heart with a crown on it, painted in vivid primary colours.

 

“A love token,” Veronica murmured.  “My dad brought one home from my mom once when he went to Mexico with some friends.”

 

“Mr. Rodrick probably gave it to her and she hid it up there for safe keeping.”  Logan said quietly.

 

Nodding, Veronica smiled.  “It’s beautiful.  She probably hid the box from her kids when they were little.  I know if my mom had one of these, I would play with it all the time.”

 

Logan smiled, his eyes never leaving the heart.  “When we lived in L.A. I always asked my mom to show me how they worked, so you’re probably right.”

 

Pushing the drawer back into the box, it clicked into place again.  “Not the engagement ring, but still beautiful.  Let’s go downstairs and clean it up, then put it on the dresser for Mathais to find.  Then we can keep looking for the ring.”

 

Nodding, Logan handed her the box.  “Sure.  That sounds like a great plan.”

 

Together, they made their way through the house back to the kitchen, to clean up their first treasure find of the day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After yesterday's angst, I feel like I "owe" everyone some fluff. It's been a crazy busy day so this is only slightly edited and pieced together in a few spare minutes today so apologies for any mistakes.
> 
> Prompt word: exposed
> 
> P.S. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone!

Placing the wooden box on the dresser, Veronica let out a contented sigh.  They two had managed to find some Pledge spray above the sink and the old wooden puzzle box was not only returned to a beautiful like-new finish, it also smelled lemony-fresh.  A little thrilling shiver ran through Veronica at the thought of Mathais finding the box and not knowing how it got there or who was responsible.  _This must be what Santa feels like,_ she thought.

 

“I think we should check the living room next.”  Logan leaned against the door frame, his hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie.  “There’s a lot to go through down there.  Plus, there’s that big, old China cabinet in the corner.  Maybe it’s in there?”

 

“Good idea.  Maybe there’s a little trinket box or something she stashed it in and then forgot about it.”

 

A large grin spread across Logan’s face.  Veronica was usually the ‘ideas’ part of their friendship – and he went along (happily or unhappily).  It was always a source of great pride for him when one of his ‘ideas’ worked its way into her plans too.

 

Making their way down the steps, they paused near the bottom, gazing over the thick oak railing into the living room.  From this angle, the stacks of papers and boxes looked like waves on the sea, rising and falling in the space.  Glancing to the corner where the tall China cabinet sat, Logan considered ‘surfing’ over all the stuff to try and get to it without having to move anything but quickly realized it was probably a bad idea.

 

“I think I’m light enough to climb on top of everything,” Veronica said, continuing on down to the floor.  “You may need to give me a boost though.”

 

“I dunno, Ronnie.  Do you think it’s sturdy enough?”  Following her down, he stood next to her, the top of the boxes coming up just to her nose.  “Plus, even if you make it over there, there are boxes blocking the door to the cabinet – you’ll never open it.”

 

Reaching up, Logan pulled the top box off the pile.  It was heavier than he imagined and he quickly dropped it, narrowly missing Veronica as it landed on the ground with a crash.

 

“One.”  He muttered.

 

“Oh gosh, this will take forever, Lo.”  Veronica bent down and righted the box that fell.  “There must be a thousand boxes in here.”

 

“It’s like Indiana Jones!  At the end, with all the boxes in the warehouse.”

 

Grasping the edge of one of the high boxes, Veronica pulled herself up on top of the box on the ground with a smile.  “I’m not allowed to watch that movie yet Mr. Son Of Two Movie Stars.  You know that.”

 

Looking between the tall boxes, the box on the ground, and Veronica, Logan let out a defeated sigh.  It was a bad idea...but he knew his friend was going to do it anyway.  Linking his fingers together, Logan bent slightly, making another step for Veronica to get up on top of the high box wall.

 

“Thanks!”  She said as she pulled herself up on all fours onto the pile, teetering for a moment as she got her bearings.

 

As Veronica crept slowly towards the corner, Logan held his breath, watching her wiggle and wobble as she maneuvered the precarious surface.  They both gasped as her knee went through the top of a box, but she righted herself quickly and continued her quest.

 

When she arrived at her destination, Logan finally exhaled.  Reaching into her hoodie, Veronica pulled out her flashlight and turned it on, shining the beam through the beveled glass and into the wooden case.

 

“What’s in there?”  He called out, standing on top of the box and leaning on the mountain, trying to get a glimpse of what she was seeing.

 

The reflection from the flashlight **exposed** the intricate details in the wood in the cabinet and for a second, Logan was distracted by how beautiful it looked in the shadowy room light.  There was nothing like this in his home – unless him mother’s interior designer suddenly deemed it “in.”  Growing up in the sterile, hands-off home of Aaron and Lynn Echolls made Logan fascinated with how the “other” people lived and he secretly harboured a deep want for Mrs. Navarro to invite him to her house, just so he could see how it looked.

 

“Not much.  Some glass figurines.  A couple of plates with Elvis on them.  A bunch of shot glasses -- I’m going to guess those were Mr. Rodrick’s.”

 

Gingerly, Veronica stood, her hand bracing against the cabinet.  Sticking the flashlight in her mouth for a moment, her free hand sliding up the wooden front of the cabinet, her fingers grasping the fine lip of the wood and she pulled, a long, thin door swung open towards her.

 

Taking the flashlight out of her mouth, Veronica peered inside.  “It looks like there are other doors – someone just took the knobs off long ago.  There are small holes where they should be screwed into the wood.”

 

“Wonder if she took the knobs off because of the kids – kind of like hiding the box.”  Logan laughed.

 

Closing the door, Veronica moved over to open the one on the other side.  “Probably had curious kids.”

 

“Like us?”  Logan smirked.

 

Tossing a glance over her shoulder, Veronica gave him a conspiratorial wink.  “Yeah.  Like us.”

 

Turning her attention back to the contents of the cabinet, Veronica let out a little gasp and a squeal of delight, her hand quickly reaching inside to extract a new treasure.  When her hand came back into view, it held a fist-full of letters, tied with a big red ribbon.

 

“Love letters!”  She gasped with excitement.

 

Logan wrinkled his nose in disgust.  “Ew.  How do you know?”

 

“Duh!  Look at the red ribbon!”  Pointing her flashlight at the ribbon, she rolled her eyes.  “That’s how you know!”

 

Rolling his eyes back at her, he reached out across the expanse.  “Giv’em here.  I’ll see.”

 

“No!  You can’t read someone’s love letters!  It’s bad luck.”  Clutching the find close to her chest, Veronica waved her flashlight at him. 

 

“Says who?”

 

“Says....well...me!”  She stated firmly, closing the door.  "These are their private thoughts.  It would be like reading someone's diary -- and that's a big no-no."

 

Turning off the light, she slipped the letters into her hoodie pocket and the flashlight in the back pocket of her pants before slowly bending down onto all fours and carefully making her way back across the boxes.  Jumping down, Logan made room for her as she came to the end, shuffling herself onto her bottom, her feet dangling off the edge near him.  A gleeful smile spread across her face as she extracted the letters.

 

“Look.  They’re addressed to Mrs. Rodrick and the postmark is from France.  I bet you that Mr. Rodrick was a soldier in the war and these are all of the beautiful things he wrote to his wife while they were apart.”  Veronica let out a happy sigh, causing Logan to roll his eyes.

 

“That’s so sappy.”

 

“Yeah, it’s totally sappy and totally beautiful.”  She stated firmly, hopping off the pile onto the step-box.  Standing on the box made her slightly higher than him and she looked down at him firmly.  “I think it’s wonderful and sweet and romantic.”

 

Scoffing, Logan rolled his eyes once more.  “You’re such a girl sometimes, you know that?  You and my mom should watch those romantic old movies she loves, together.”

 

Hopping off the box, Veronica tossed her hair over her shoulder.  “Maybe we should.  Without _you_ , you big oaf.  Now come on...let’s go put these upstairs with the box.”

 

“Hey!  I’m not an oaf!”  Logan whined, stomping his foot, his hands on his hips. 

 

“Then if you aren’t, then quit acting like one.”  She called out as she turned away from him and headed towards the stairs.

 

Watching her ascend, Logan stuck his tongue out at her and she just laughed, her pace quickening as she climbed to the second floor.

 

“You’re the oaf.”  He muttered his comeback to no one, before grudgingly following her upstairs.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt word: Patient

“You just have to be **patient** , Ronnie.  We’ll find it.”  Logan bit into his ham sandwich, chewing slowly as he watched Veronica sulk over her half-empty can of Skist.

 

Since there was really no clean surface on which to eat their lunch, the two decided to sit cross-legged on a section of kitchen counter, once they cleared a couple of boxes off the faded blue laminate.  Although Veronica had been ecstatic with their morning treasure finds, she was still disappointed that they didn’t find the ring.  Yet.

 

“I just don’t know where else to look,” she said, her finger tracing the aluminum ring of the can in thought.  “I mean, I thought that it would be somewhere safe, but what if it is really just...lost?”

 

“Then how would she lose it?”  Logan asked with a shrug.  “Why would she take it off?”

 

Veronica returned his shrug with a sigh.  “Dunno.  I know my mom takes off her ring to do dishes.  And when she takes a shower or bath.”

 

“So maybe we need to look in here next.”  Logan swept the rest of his sandwich through the air as he gestured around the room, before it landed in his mouth.

 

“I guess it’s as good a place as any.” Veronica glanced around at the small kitchen filled to the brim with boxes and papers – exactly like the rest of the house.  She took another long sip of her pop before setting it down, pushing herself to a standing position on the counter.  Shuffling along the edge past the boxes in her way, Veronica opened the first of the high cupboards, the rusty hinges squealing as she pulled the peeling doors towards her.

 

“Dishes.  Lots of dishes.”  She reported, before closing the doors.   Inching over to the next doors she opened them and sighed.  “Tea cups.  Tea pot.  Lots of old tins of tea.”

 

Stuffing the last bite of his sandwich in his mouth, Logan rose and began moving along the other side of the counter towards the first set of doors on that side of their resting spot.  “Recipe books.  Lots of them.”

 

“Cool!”  Veronica replied, smiling at him from behind the cupboard.  “Anything good?”

 

The lines of recipe books filled the shelves and Logan scanned them, trying to read the Spanish words along the side of many of the spines.  A green fabric-covered one, with delicate red roses painted on the spine caught his eye and he gently pulled it out, disturbing the dust inside, causing a tiny avalanche of dirt to descend on him.  Coughing, he swung back around the cupboard towards Veronica. 

 

“Look at this one,” he said, pausing to open it.  As he parted the pages, several papers fell, landing on the counter at his feet.  Picking them up, he opened them, smiling at the contents. 

 

“What is it?”  Moving away from the cupboards, she joined him to look at the book. 

 

Flipping through the pages, Logan uncovered more lose papers and he gently pulled them out, being careful not to tear them as he did.

 

“It looks like they’re all hand-written recipes.  I bet you these are family recipes that only she knew how to make.”

 

Veronica eyes went wide as she looked over the papers.  “I think you’re right!  If you didn’t open the book, you would never know they were there.”

 

“Another treasure.”  Logan said quietly.

 

Inching past him, Veronica made her way to the recipe books, her eyes skimming over them.  “She must have just stuck her recipes in all the books and only _she_ knew where to find them.”

 

“That’s not surprising.  I mean, after a while, she probably didn’t even need them, anyhow.   I’ve never seen Mrs. Navarro _ever_ use a recipe book when she cooks – it’s all in her head, she says.”

 

“I wonder if Mathais’ had a favourite recipe?  I mean, I love when my mom cooks waffles...maybe his favourite recipe is in there somewhere.  If we collect them all from the books, we’ll have another surprise wedding present for him.”

 

Opening the middle of the book, Logan pressed the sheets of paper in between for safe keeping.  “Then his new wife will have some recipes to make for him when they are married.”

 

Veronica’s tiny brow wrinkled, her lips pursed tightly in that way that Logan instantly knew he had made a big mistake opening his mouth.

 

“Or.. _.Mathais_ can make them for his new wife...” She said slowly, enunciating every word so Logan knew exactly what she was saying to him.

 

Swallowing hard, he nodded.  “Or that.”

 

A crooked smile spread across her lips and she nodded, her face exuding confidence that she put him in his place.  “If you hand me the books, I’ll take out the pages, and you can put them back.”

 

Nodding, Logan quietly shuffled back to the cupboard, focusing on the task he was given, making a mental note to himself that he should one day learn how to cook...just in case.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: I almost forgot...

Opening the door to the spare room, Veronica let out a deep sigh.  The room was completely filled with _stuff_ – so high and so deep that it blocked the light from the window.

 

“This must be where Mathais put all the boxes and things from his mother’s room when he cleaned,” Veronica said as she stood on her tip-toes to see over the boxes and into the room, shining her flashlight into the dark space.

 

“Looks like...” Logan answered, his eyes scanning for a place for them to start their search.

 

For a moment, they both stood there, contemplating their next move.  Logan was getting bored with this little adventure and fidgeted back and forth, shifting his weight between his feet.  He quietly hoped that Veronica would give up on her quest – even though he knew it would never, ever happen.

 

“Maybe, if we sit on top of the boxes, we can open them and just look inside.”  She stated, placing her hands on her hips and frowning at the obstacle in front of her.  “I mean, when I crawled on the boxes downstairs, they were so packed that I could easily move on them.  I’m sure these are the same.”

 

Logan wrinkled his nose in thought, glancing over the boxes once more, trying to figure out if they would actually hold him.  While Veronica was several sizes smaller for her age, Logan was definitely on the taller side for his age.   As he was thinking, Veronica pulled down one of the first boxes with a groan of exertion and it landed in front of him, narrowly missing his toes.  Smiling up at him, she reached around her head and tightened her ponytail.

 

“Come on!” 

 

With a wave of her hand for him to follow, Veronica jumped up onto the first box before scrambling up onto the top of the boxes in the room.  Shifting onto all fours, she began to crawl, her tiny flashlight beam bouncing erratically around the room as she tried to hold it as she moved.

 

Letting out a resolved sigh, Logan hopped up onto the box and climbed onto the hill, following her as she moved through the room.  He was relieved that the boxes did in fact hold his weight, but he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the surface, just in case one looked a little unsteady.

 

Stopping in the middle of the room, just under the old hanging light fixture, Veronica sat cross legged on the boxes and patted the one in front of her.  “I guess this is as good a place as any to start.”

 

Coming to sit next to her, Logan frowned at the top.  The flaps of the box were sealed with silver duct tape – the edges tucked along the sides, pressed hard against the other boxes.  “But Mathais taped all the boxes shut in here.  How are we supposed to open them?”

 

For a second, a look of concern crossed Veronica’s face, her forehead wrinkling in thought before her eyes sprang open as she solved their dilemma. 

 

“Oh!  **I almost forgot**...I snagged my Dad’s Swiss Army Knife off his bedside table!”  Clapping her hands with happiness, she opened her palm to Logan.  “Hand me the backpack.  It’s in there somewhere.”

 

Slipping the pack off himself, Logan handed it to her and she smiled, obviously proud of herself for thinking ahead. 

 

“Just don’t cut yourself,” Logan muttered as she rooted around in the bag.

 

Extracting a small red object, Veronica winked at him before gently pulling blade of the knife out with a small ‘snap’ as it clicked into place.  The shiny blade caught the light as she moved it carefully through the air, piercing the tape with the sharp point at one end before dragging it slowly between the box flaps.  When she reached the end of the box, Veronica easily sliced the remaining tape off either side before setting the knife down on top of a box beside her, the blade facing away from them.

 

“You worry too much,” she teased, her eyes twinkling with glee as she pulled back the flaps of the box.  “Dad taught me how to use that thing last summer when we went camping.  Mom wasn’t too happy, but whatever.”

 

The two leaned over slightly to look in the box and they both gasped in unison at their find.

 

“Pictures!”  She cried out with excitement, pulling an old green bound photo album from the top.  “This is awesome!”

 

“But it’s not the engagement ring.  That’s what we’re really looking for.”  Logan reached in and pulled out the next album, placing it on his lap.

 

Flipping open the first page of the album in her possession, Veronica shook her head.  “Logan, this isn’t just about the ring anymore.  Don’t you get it?  It’s about finding all the lost treasures around the house that Mathais hasn’t had time to look for.”

 

She let out a deep sigh, shining her flashlight on the page of old black and white photos, mounted on heavy black paper with little gold triangles in each corner of the pictures.  It seemed like the captions were written in white chalk in the spaces between and Logan leaned over to try and get a better look.  The page contained pictures of what must have been family, in front of a house that Logan assumed was in Mexico, since he hadn’t seen anything like it in Neptune.

 

“Yeah, I mean, this is cool, but what if we can’t find the ring?”  He asked, his eyes still fixed on the photographs in Veronica’s hands.

 

Shrugging, she turned the page, smiling at the photos that greeted her.  “Then I guess we don’t find it.  Maybe we were _never_ meant to find it.  Maybe that’s the way Mrs. Rodrick wanted it – for whatever reason.  Maybe _these_ are the treasures we were meant to find.”

 

Nodding, Logan sat back, glancing down at the book on his lap.  His hand skimmed the cover – the soft brown fabric cover pilling and warping with age.  The edge was bound with a cord, and even though it looked flimsy to him, it was obviously sturdy enough to have survived decades.  Opening it slowly, the smiling black and white faces of children greeted him.  It looked as if they were taken in a courtyard of a home, at some kind of celebration.  Frowning, Logan looked at the scene – so different from anything he had experienced.  The few adults in the photos were laughing, large smiles spread across their faces.  Some of the children were blurry, moving too quickly to be caught.  Something in Logan’s stomach twisted as he focused on the happy family, flipping the pages slowly in thought.

 

“I wonder if they were rich, back in Mexico.”  Veronica said quietly, still concentrating on her book.  “Everything looks so...expensive.”

 

Logan looked up at her, frowning.  “If they were rich there, why would they come here?”

 

The corner of Veronica’s lip twisted into a smirk as she focused on her friend.  “Money isn’t everything, ya know.  Maybe they weren’t safe there.  Maybe something happened to their family.  Who knows?”

 

Turning back to the album, Logan pursed his lips in thought.  _Money isn’t everything._   The happy, anonymous family members smiled back at him as he thought about his own family photos, usually shot by some celebrity magazine reporter – his mom trying to be happy for everyone, his smiling father secretly angry at him for something he did, his sister Trina pretending she was already a movie star, and him hating every moment.

 

“Yeah.  I guess so,” he replied quietly, letting himself get lost in the images of another kid’s family.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playing a game of catch-up tonight for Promptober. It's been a crazy few days.
> 
> Prompt: rotten

Standing at the top of the stairs, Veronica looked down into the dark abyss of the basement, the beam of her flashlight darting about, making the dust in the air twinkle.

 

“Weren’t you already down there?”  Logan wrinkled his nose, gazing down the rickety wooden steps.  The backs of the planks were exposed and all he could think about was the fact that some boogie-man could easily reach out and grab their ankles as they walked down.

 

“I was only down there for, like, a minute.”  Veronica stated with a huff of annoyance at her best friend.  “It’s not like I actually looked around for anything but the door.”

 

Leaning against the doorframe, Logan cast the beam of his flashlight down to match Veronica’s.  “Why would an engagement ring be down there, anyway?”

 

“Because it isn’t up here.” Rolling her eyes, Veronica clicked her tongue against the top of her mouth.  “Why?  Are you scared?”

 

“Nooooo!”  He retorted, trying to sound convincing. 

 

The truth of the matter was Logan’s parents were not big on screening the movies and TV shows he watched and as a result, he knew exactly what kind of vampires, werewolves, and zombies could be lurking down in the basement of an abandoned house – just waiting for a tasty kid or two to devour or turn into one of them.  He knew for a fact that Veronica wasn’t even allowed to watch Scooby Doo, and as such, had no clue what she could be in for in that dark basement.

 

The first step let out a high-pitch creak as Veronica stepped on it and Logan cringed.  “Oh come on.  It’ll be fine,” she said as she began to descend.

 

Swallowing hard, Logan summoned all his courage to follow, making sure to shine his flashlight on the steps, lest a hand shoot out from underneath to grab Veronica.

 

The basement was surprisingly tidier than the upstairs – but not by much.  Pausing at the bottom of the steps, Logan reached up and grabbed the string hanging down from a single light bulb.  With a quick tug, the basement was illuminated in a dull yellow light.

 

“Well, that helps...kinda.”  Veronica lowered her flashlight but didn’t turn it off.

 

In one corner of the basement sat an old washer and dryer next to a big metal washing sink attached to the wall -- three wooden drying racks stood empty close by.  The other side of the basement was home to a long wooden bench that extended up part of the wall towards the exposed wooden rafters.  A multitude of tools hung on the back of the bench off of pegs – cobwebs stretching between them – and stacks of wood of every shape and size were stacked on the shelves underneath.  There were some other larger machines and tools, but Logan wasn’t sure what they were.

 

“Guess this was Mr. Rodrick’s area of the house,” Veronica let out a chuckle as she approached the bench, her flashlight skimming the surface.  “My dad teases my mom that he’s going to take up wooden bird carving when he retires and make a huge workshop in our garage.”

 

“My grandpa does something called ‘Canasta’.”  Logan said with a shrug.  “I have no idea what that is.”

 

Veronica snorted a laugh.  “I think it’s a –”

 

A loud bang from upstairs cut Veronica off and the two of them jumped.  Their eyes shot towards the floorboards above them as footsteps creaked through the planks.  Logan’s entire body vibrated in a shiver before Veronica grabbed his hand, dragging him quickly back towards the steps.  As the creaking moved over them, her head darted around before tugging him again, around the side of the open stairs.  Turning off her light, she quickly dove into the darkness, pulling her hood over her head as she crouched in the corner, making herself almost disappear into the darkness.  Pulling his hood over his head, he quickly joined her, turning off his flashlight before pressing himself against her, making himself as small as possible. 

 

He could feel her tiny body shake against his, wedged between him and the wall, as the footsteps stopped just above them.

 

“ **Rotten** kids!”  A heavy voice called out before some muttered swears mixed with the heavy sound of stomping feet down the steps.  When the large boots passed in front of them, Logan fought the impulse to grab the man’s ankles through the open stair.

 

With wide eyes, Logan and Veronica watched a great lumbering man with white hair stomp towards the broken window, tossing up his hands as he cursed.  “Rotten, rotten kids breaking windows again!   Don’t no one teach their kids respect anymore?” 

 

There was more muttering as the man walked over to the workbench and grabbed a hammer from it’s spot on the wall.  The sound of wood being tossed about echoed before the sound of metal on wood joined the chorus.  Walking back to the window, the old man slapped the long piece of wood over the window before awkwardly positioning a nail near the edge.  The sound of the hammer hitting the nail made Logan wince every time the metal connected with metal and he narrowed his eyes.  It took six nails before the man stopped, tossing the hammer towards the bench.  It landed with a crash and Logan was sure something broke in the process.

 

More cursing followed as the man walked towards them and Logan held his breath, praying he wouldn’t see them.  Veronica’s hand reached for his and he squeezed it, knowing that if they were found out, they would both be in more trouble than they had ever been.  When he reached up and turned off the light, Logan closed his eyes, trying not to exhale.  With heavy feet, the man made his way up the steps, still muttering about the window before the basement door slammed behind him.

 

Slowly, Veronica exhaled beside him but made no other move as they listened for the footsteps upstairs.  While it felt like hours, they only lasted a few more minutes as he wandered the house, probably checking for any evidence of a break-and-enter.  When the sound finally retreated back to their origin – the door slamming before the silence – Logan let out a long, deep sigh of relief.  Quickly shimmying out from their hiding spot, Logan shook the dust and dirt from himself as his body shivered once more.

 

“Must have been a caretaker.”  Veronica whispered as she joined him, shaking herself off as well.  “Since Mathais is out of town most of the time.”

 

Tossing his hood off his head, Logan shook his hair out with his hand.  “Are we having fun yet?”

 

Removing her hood, Veronica laughed.  “Of course we are!  What’s an adventure without a little excitement?”

 

“I dunno.  I could have done without that.”  He said, adjusting his backpack.

 

Tossing her ponytail over her shoulder, Veronica tilted her head and smiled.  “Oh come on – one day you can tell your kids all about how your best friend took you on this big, mysterious treasure hunt.”

 

Wrinkling his nose, Logan stuck out his tongue and shivered.  “Ew.  Gross.  I’m not having kids.”

 

“I thought you were going to marry Maaaddiieee...” Veronica teased, smacking his shoulder with the back of her hand.  “I know she likeeessss yoooouuuu.”

 

“Yeah.  Like you’re doing to marry Dicky?”  He shot back, pushing her shoulder playfully.

 

Veronica’s face puckered and she shivered.  “Ugh.  I told you already that would never, ever happen.  Ever.”

 

Chuckling, Logan grabbed his flashlight from his hoodie and shone in on her as she tried to brush away the beam of light.

 

“Come on.  We’re running out of time.  Let’s go back upstairs and try and find the ring before we have to head for home.”

 

Grabbing her flashlight, Veronica shone it towards him and he squinted against the light.  “Okay.  You lead the way.”

 

Walking out of the beam, Logan blinked away the light spots from his eyes, focusing on the steps in front of him.  Part of him really, really wanted this adventure to be over, and another part of him never wanted it to end.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt: spirit

Staring at the wedding picture on the wall of the living room, Logan waved his fingers in the air, closing his eyes and muttering to himself something completely unintelligible.

 

“What are you doing?”  Veronica asked from her seat on the bottom step.

 

“Trying to summon the spirit of Mrs. Rodrick to try tell us where she hid the ring.”  Logan explained, continuing his incantations.  “Cause I think that’s the only way we’re going to find it.”

 

The stomping of Veronica’s tiny feet towards him made Logan open his eyes, his arms still raised in the air.

 

“Stop it.  Now you’re just being ridiculous.” She huffed in frustration.

 

Glancing down at his friend, Logan let out a sigh, his hands dropping to her hunched shoulders.  Everything about Veronica looked defeated – from her furrowed brow to her crossed arms.  They had searched the rest of the rooms upstairs and still came up empty.  Now, they were completely out of time and patience.

 

“Sorry.  I was just trying to make you laugh.”

 

“Bygones.”  She replied with a forced smile, her eyes fixed on the picture above the mantle.  “I just don’t understand where it could be.  Mathais said he chose to bury her with her wedding ring on – because Mr. Rodrick had been buried with his on.  But if she loved him so much, why would she take it off in the first place?”

 

Logan shrugged, turning towards the picture again.  “Dunno.  Maybe it made her sad to look at it every day, after he died?  Maybe she put it somewhere close to his stuff and forgot about it?  I know my Grandpa puts his wedding ring near a picture of my Grandma every night before he goes to bed.”

 

Placing her hands on her hips, Veronica frowned.  “Really?  Why?”

“I think it’s so he can be close to her again.  He’s never told me, but that’s my best guess.”

 

“That’s sweet.”  Veronica whispered, a real smile pushing across her lips.  “But there didn’t seem to be anything like that in Mr. Rodrick’s bedroom.”

 

“True, but there’s some photos down here.” 

 

Skimming the room, Logan’s attention fixed on the mantle under the picture.  Dusty frames containing old pictures lay staggered along the top of the oak shelf – the images obscured by dirt.  Switching on his flashlight, Logan illuminated the frames, one at a time.

 

“What if she hid her ring down here – behind one of those pictures or something?”

 

Her eyes growing wide, Veronica reached up to grab the top of the mountain of boxes.  “You may be right.  Help me up!”

 

Placing the flashlight on top of the boxes, Logan interlocked his fingers, lowering them to Veronica to offer her a boost up.  Securing her foot in his hands, Veronica nodded at him and he hoisted her with all his strength, haphazardly launching her on top of the boxes as she let out a groan.

 

“Sorry.  That didn’t work well at all.” Picking up his flashlight, he watched as she righted herself on the boxes on all fours.

 

“It’s okay.  I’m up and that’s what matters.” She replied, giving him a quick thumbs-up before carefully crawling across the boxes towards the mantle.

 

Arriving at her destination, Veronica picked up the first frame and wiped off the dust with the sleeve of her hoodie, revealing the picture hidden underneath.  Smiling, she turned it towards Logan.

 

“Look at how cute and chubby Mathais was when he was little!”

 

Logan laughed, shining his light towards the frame.  “I’m sure his fiancée will love that picture.”

 

Veronica giggled as she replaced the frame in its designated outline in the dust.  Glancing along the mantle, she shimmied over, grasping a heavy wooden frame.  Pulling it toward her, she heard a rattling and her eyes opened wide.  The edge of the frame was intricately carved, similar to the box they had found, and when she rubbed off the dust, Mr. Rodrick’s serious face stared back at her.

 

“I think I may have found something!”

 

“What? What is it?”  Logan’s flashlight beam followed her movements, trying to see what she was doing.

 

Flipping the frame over, Veronica pushed the latches holding the cardboard backing to the edge.  Peeling it back, she gasped at what she found.  Pressed deep into the layers of paper backing the photo was a small diamond ring.

 

“I found it!”  She squealed, carefully grasping the band by the bottom as she pulled it from the paper, leaving an indentation behind.  “Mrs. Rodrick must have put it here to be closer to Mr. Rodrick!”

 

Holding the ring up for Logan to see, the light caught the small diamond, set deep into the gold.  Three smaller diamonds in a channel on each side followed the thin band.  The facets twinkled, casting tiny dots of light around Veronica.

 

“It’s so tiny.”  Logan stated his eyes wide with excitement.  “No wonder it was so hard to find.” 

 

Slipping the ring on her index finger, Veronica began closing the back of the picture frame, her grin creating deep dimples in her cheeks.  “Not everyone has the kind of diamond rings your mom has, Lo.  Those things are the size of golf balls.”

 

Logan shrugged, looking down with a little embarrassment at his family’s wealth.  Sometimes he forgot that the things that went on in his home didn’t happen to everyone else.

 

Tucking the picture under her arm, Veronica began shuffling back to him, trying not to drop any of her treasures.  When she got to the edge, she handed him the picture frame before launching herself off the end, landing with a thud onto the floor. Righting herself, Veronica tossed her pony tail behind her, her eyes still wild with excitement.

 

“Come on!  We can clean up the frame in the kitchen and take it upstairs to put with the other treasures.”

 

“We’re going to leave it here?”  Logan frowned.  “But Ronnie, what if someone breaks in and steals the ring?”

 

“Oh don’t worry.  I’m taking the ring with us to give to my dad.”  She explained.  “Once he sees the ring, he won’t care how we got it.  Trust me.”

 

Logan’s blood ran cold at the thought of getting into trouble – first with Sherriff Mars, then with Aaron.  “Uhhh...Veronica...maybe we should reconsider and just tell Mathais where to find it in the frame.  I really, really, _really_ don’t feel like getting in trouble.”

 

A small frown wrinkled Veronica’s forehead as she looked her friend up and down, as if deciding what to do about her idea.

 

“Fine.  We’ll clean it up and put it back on the dresser.  I’ll keep an eye out for the next time Mathais is back in the neighbourhood and I can point it out to him then.  Or strongly suggest it to my dad.”

 

Logan let out a deep sigh of relief and smiled.  “Okay.  That’s better.”

 

Patting Logan’s arm, Veronica walked past him towards the kitchen.  “Come on – we better get this done before supper.  Mom is making our favourite tonight – lasagne.”

 

Quickening his pace, Logan caught up to his friend, his stomach gurgling happily at the thought of a hearty dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My work this month is no longer part of the Promptober Collection so I highly suggest that if you want to find outwhat happens in this story, you hit "subscribe." I will be posting the conclusion next week.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who liked and commented on this "G" version of LoVe. I hope to make this a regular series one day.

** Epilogue **

 

Logan rolled over onto his stomach on the blanket, dropping his book on the ground.

 

“Hey!  Watch those big feet of yours!” Veronica called out from behind him.  “You nearly kicked my book out of my hands.”

 

“Sorry.  This fort isn't as big as the last one.”

 

As soon as they got home from school, Veronica had announced that since Logan was sleeping over for the weekend while his parents were in New York, they needed to build a fort in the living room to stay in. Forgetting her mother had rearranged the furniture since the last time they built one, Veronica and Logan soon found their original plans compromised and instead had to squish themselves under a mishmash of blankets slung between chairs and sofas.

 

“Hey, here's a cool fact:  did you know that Indonesian weaver ants can cling together to form a bridge between things?” He said, pointing to a picture of a pile of red ants in his _Ripley's Believe It or Not_.

 

Veronica leaned towards him, her eyes open wide with curiosity.  “Cool!  I wonder if the ants in California are that smart?”

 

The sound of the front door opening made Logan pause as heavy footsteps vibrated the floor below him.

 

“Veronica?  Logan?”  Keith called out as he closed the door.

 

“In here!”  They called out in unison and laughed.

 

“Can you come out here for a minute, please?”

 

There was a tone in Keith's voice that gave Logan pause – they were about to be busted for something.  He had heard that tone before...just after he and Veronica had bought a chemistry set at a garage sale and made a stink bomb in the garage.

 

Scooting towards the entrance to their fort, Veronica let out a sigh.  “Come on,” she whispered.

 

Nodding, Logan followed her as she pushed back one of the blankets and slipped out into the living room.  His head breaching the fabric doorway, Logan gasped when he saw a tall, young Latino man, with wavy dark hair, standing next to Keith near the front door, a box of “treasures” in his hands.

 

“Veronica, you remember Mathais, don’t you?”

 

Veronica stood talk and nodded, a wide smile spreading across her face.  “I sure do!  Hi Mathais!”

 

Logan stood next to her, his hands pulled into his sleeves as his eyes darted between Mr. Mars’ stern face and Mathais’ amused one.

 

“Mathais called me today, when he got home from college, to inform me that there had been a break and enter in his mother’s house.  But this has turned out to be a unique situation, because instead of taking something, it seems that the person who broke in left things behind.”  Keith sighed, his hands clasping behind his back as his eyes shifted between Logan and Veronica.  “And I have to say...never in all my years on the police force, Veronica, have I ever responded to a break and enter where someone put more _into_ the house than they took _out_.” 

 

“You don’t say...” Veronica gasped, her eyes glancing to one side, avoiding Keith’s gaze.

 

“Ummmhummm.”  Keith nodded.  “Funny thing – when I went though and dusted for fingerprints, I found hundreds of small finger prints all over the place.  Which leads me to believe that the place was broken into by one, or two, young kids, or a criminal organization comprised of people with dwarfism are on the loose in Neptune – ones that happen to like to drink Skist.”

 

Logan’s hands contracted into fists under his shirt sleeves and he angled his glance down towards the ground.  Busted by a stupid can of pop accidentally left behind – they really sucked at this detective thing.

 

Rocking back and forth on his heels, Keith took in a deep breath. “So, which one of you is going to explain what happened over at Mrs. Rodrick’s house?”

 

Chewing on her thumb nail, Veronica glanced at Logan, her cheeks bright red.  “We only wanted to help.”

 

“Ummmhumm.”  Keith rolled his eyes, his hand skimming his balding head.  “I’ve heard that one before.”

 

“No, really.”  Veronica nodded emphatically.  “I overheard Mathais tell you about wanting to find his mother’s engagement ring so he could propose to his girlfriend so I thought we could help him find it so he could live happily ever after.”

 

A chuckle escaped Keith and he coughed to try and cover, fighting to keep the serious line fixed on his lips.  Mathais however, made no such effort to keep his composure, letting out a loud snort-laugh at Veronica’s words.

 

“That’s very kind of you, Veronica.  And I did find all the wonderful things you left for me in my mother’s room.  In fact, now that I know your intentions, I’m sad that you weren’t successful in your search.”

 

“But we were!”  Logan and Veronica burst out, both taking a step towards the box in Mathais’ hands.

 

Veronica was the first to take the frame of Mr. Rodrick and flip it over, presenting the back of it to her father and Mathais.  “We found the ring – it’s in the back of this frame!  But we didn’t want to take it out in case real burglars came and stole it while you were gone.”

 

Placing the box down on the floor, Mathais took the frame from Veronica, furrowing his brow at the object.  Flipping the clasps along the edge, he pulled back the cover and gasped as the ring, embedded in the paper backing, was revealed.

 

A giddy sense of excitement ran through Logan and he bounced anxiously on the balls of his feet, a wide grin spreading across his face.   They did it – they solved the case.  Glancing at Veronica, she looked as if she was going to burst out of her skin with happiness and her eyes sparkled in a way he had never seen before. 

 

“Well, it seems there might be a happy ending for someone in this room after all.” Keith murmured, a smile spreading across his lips.

 

Mathais pulled the ring from it’s home and held it up to the light, tears brimming in his eyes.  “I can’t believe it.  After all this time – it’s really here.  I can propose to Julia.  We can fix up the house and live in Neptune.  We can start a family here...”

 

Veronica’s hand brushed Logan’s sleeve and his fingers slipped out of his shirt to take her hand.  She squeezed it with excitement. 

 

 “I’m glad we could help you, Mathais.”

 

Clutching Mathais’ shoulder Keith nodded.  “I’m happy they could help too – although we will have a very frank discussion after this about your _methods_ , Veronica...Logan.”

 

The two gave a quick nod back at him, but it still did nothing to stop their excitement.

 

“How can I ever repay you both?”  Mathais asked as he placed the frame back in the box, slipping the ring tightly onto his pinkie finger for safe keeping.

 

Veronica arched her eyebrow at Logan and licked her lips.  “We both like Amy’s Ice Cream.”

 

Burying his face in his hands, Keith let out another deep sigh.  “Veronica...”

 

“Absolutely!”  Mathais said, picking up the box at his feet.  “Come on, Sherriff Mars...it’s the least they deserve.”

 

“Fine.  Both of you get your jackets.  I’ll go grab Leanne.  I guess we’re going to have dessert before dinner tonight.”

 

Jumping up and down with excitement, Veronica rapidly clapped her hands.  “Oh my gosh!  Not only did we solve the case, but now we’re getting _paid_!”

 

Logan held his palm in the air and Veronica slapped it in a hard high-five, grinning back at him wildly.  “And this is only the beginning...” she said.  “Just think, we can do this again.  We can help all our friends!”

 

“Only the beginning...” He repeated quietly.  “Only the beginning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Information about weaver ants taken from an actual "Ripley's Believe It or Not" publication.


End file.
